Special election to replace Texas state Sen. Carlos Uresti draws 8 candidates, including his brother

The July 31 special election to replace state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, who resigned Thursday, has attracted eight candidates. The list includes Uresti's brother, Tomas Uresti, a state representative who lost his re-election bid in the March primary.

State Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, and his wife Lleana leave the federal courthouse in San Antonio after being convicted on 11 charges on Thursday morning, Feb 22, 2018.
Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune

Eight candidates have filed for the July 31 special election to replace former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, — including his brother, outgoing state Rep. Tomas Uresti, according to the secretary of state's office.

The deadline was 5 p.m. Monday, and among the eight candidates who filed, there are four Democrats, three Republicans and one Libertarian. The candidates had a short window to file — Gov. Greg Abbott announced the special election five days ago.

Tomas Uresti, who lost a re-election bid during the March primaries, had said over the weekend he was "contemplating" a run for Senate District 19, a massive district that stretches from San Antonio's East Side to far West Texas and includes parts of the U.S. border with Mexico.

The list of candidates includes two prominent Democrats who were already running for Carlos Uresti's seat before he resigned: state Rep. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio and former U.S. Rep. Pete Gallego of Alpine. The fourth Democrat who filed is Charlie Urbina Jones, a Poteet attorney who unsuccessfully ran for Texas' 23rd Congressional District in the 1990s.

The three Republicans who filed are Pete Flores, who unsuccessfully challenged Carlos Uresti in 2016; Jesse "Jay" Alaniz, the former president of the Harlandale ISD board; and Carlos Antonio Raymond, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for House District 117 in March.

The Libertarian candidate is Tony Valdivia, a senior reporting analyst at USAA Bank.

The winner of the special election will finish Carlos Uresti's term, which ends January 2021. Early voting begins July 16.

Quality journalism doesn't come free

Perhaps it goes without saying — but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on members to help keep our stories free and our events open to the public. Do you value our journalism? Show us with your support.